‘We trusted this day care’: Father of boy who died from fentanyl speaks out

As two of the three suspects pleaded not responsible Thursday to homicide costs within the dying of a toddler from fentanyl publicity at a Bronx, New York, day care middle in September, the kid’s father gave an emotional assertion at a information convention and his mom broke down in tears within the courtroom.

Defendants Grei Mendez, the operator of the day care middle, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito entered their pleas in a Bronx courtroom, in reply to the costs stemming from a case prosecutors stated “shocked the conscience” of New York Metropolis.

The incident left three different youngsters sickened from publicity to fentanyl stashed on the day care middle, authorities stated.

Mendez and Brito entered their pleas after they had been each indicted Thursday together with Mendez’s husband, Felix Herrera Garcia, on costs of homicide with wicked indifference to human life in reference to the dying of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici, whom the New York Metropolis Workplace of the Chief Medical Examiner decided died of fentanyl publicity on the Bronx day care middle, which prosecutors stated was a entrance for drug trafficking.

“It is a disaster. Our sorrow is matched solely by the outrage as a result of these infants had been used as shields to guard a narcotics operation,” Bronx District Lawyer Darcel Clark declared at a information convention Thursday, which was attended by the households of the youngsters who had been uncovered to fentanyl on the day care middle.

Mendez, 36, Garcia, 34, and Brito, 41, a cousin of Garcia and a tenant of Mendez’s, have all been charged with second-degree homicide, prison possession of a managed substance, manslaughter, assault and youngster endangerment. Garcia is anticipated to be arraigned later Thursday.

Throughout Thursday’s court docket listening to, Nicholas Dominici’s mom sat within the courtroom gallery, wailing.

“I perceive that justice can be carried out,” the boy’s father, Otoniel Feliz, advised reporters Thursday. “It won’t convey my son again.”

Feliz’s hand shook as he displayed {a photograph} of his son, and his voice broke with emotion.

“We trusted today care as a result of every thing was going OK,” Feliz stated. “Each single day, the girl in cost despatched textual content messages to my spouse. We trusted her as a result of she saved us up to date. We by no means imagined this was going to occur. Had I identified, I wouldn’t have despatched him there.”

“We really feel betrayed as a result of that particular person confirmed us that she was going to be like a mom to our son,” Feliz stated, referring to proprietor Mendez.

Clark stated her workplace could be taking purpose at day care facilities run out of personal houses just like the one Mendez operated.

“This case is the bleakest reminder that we should be relentless in eradicating drug traffickers from our neighborhood,” Clark stated. “We are going to get justice for them. However what now we have to do is make sure that this by no means, ever occurs once more to every other youngster.”

Clark stated she is offended, harm and saddened by the case.

“This was probably not a day care middle, this was a drug operation. They used infants as a defend,” Clark stated.

Investigators revealed Thursday they discovered an unopened bundle of Narcan in a medication cupboard on the day care. Investigators launched a photograph of the bundle after it had fallen right into a sink.

Prosecutors additionally shared a brand new picture of the medication in a hidden compartment beneath the ground and a photograph of the play mat beneath which there was a lure door that hid extra narcotics.

Garcia, who allegedly fled the day care middle on the day Nicholas died and was arrested in Mexico after a weeklong manhunt, can also be in custody on state homicide costs within the case.

All three defendants are additionally charged in a separate federal case with narcotics possession with intent to distribute leading to dying, and conspiracy to distribute narcotics leading to dying.

Garcia appeared in federal court docket on Wednesday and was detained on consent. He was not arraigned in federal court docket and has not entered a plea in both the state or federal instances.

A fourth defendant, Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, was additionally arrested within the fentanyl publicity incident and is dealing with federal costs of conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

All 4 suspects are scheduled to seem in federal court docket on Oct. 12.

The suspects are accused of storing a kilo of fentanyl in a closet on the day care middle, prosecutors stated. Six kilos of fentanyl-laced heroin and different managed substances had been discovered beneath a lure door on the middle that was hidden by a padded mat that the youngsters used to nap on, prosecutors stated.

Mendez referred to as 911 on Sept. 15, reporting that the youngsters had fallen in poor health, based on police. Investigators stated that earlier than Mendez referred to as 911, she phoned her husband.

In all, 4 youngsters had been sickened from fentanyl publicity on the day care middle, and paramedics used Narcan to revive three of them. Nicholas couldn’t be resuscitated and died at a hospital. The kids who survived vary in age from 8 months to 2 years, officers stated.

Mendez can also be accused of deleting greater than 20,000 textual content messages that she and her husband exchanged between March 2021 and the day Nicholas Dominici died from fentanyl publicity, authorities stated.

Garcia was captured on surveillance video allegedly fleeing the day care through a again alley and carrying two heavy procuring baggage whereas the youngsters had been in poor health, based on prosecutors.

Mendez’s legal professional claimed she was not conscious the medication had been stashed on the middle. Attorneys for the opposite suspects haven’t publicly commented on the costs.